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You might have a job or be looking for one, but do you talk like you do? Corporate jargon is slang for the job; you can implement casual words and phrases in conversation with coworkers or employers. Consisting primarily of technical terms, shortened phrases, or even slang on a specific field. Though you don’t need to know all these words and phrases or memorize them for a job interview like you are about to take an exam, it can help give you a smoother entry into the workforce and allow you to understand concepts faster during your career development. So, instead of googling countless quotes to see what they mean in a corporate sense, here is a list of some of the most popular and recent jargon that has surfaced in workplaces lately!
- actionable item(s): the equivalent of a to-do list
- put [task] on the backburner: to de-prioritize a job or not give it as much attention
- bandwidth: the capacity to take in more work
- cutting/bleeding edge: innovative, mainly referring to products
- boil the ocean: to do something challenging to the point it seems impossible
- break down the silos: deconstruct individual roles to embrace collaboration
- core competencies: skills aside from finances that differentiate a company
- low-hanging fruit: easily achievable goals
- blue sky thinking: similar to thinking outside of the box, brainstorming without limits
- paradigm shift: a change in approach
- holistic approach: a strategy that focuses on different fields to solve a problem rather than individual parts
- run it up the flagpole: go over a plan or strategy and see if it’s favorable
- ducks in a row: organize tasks to get ready for next steps
- herding cats: dealing with a group of people disagreeing with each other or hard to get along
- touch base: stay in touch/contact
Although this is only the surface level of present-day corporate jargon, these few phrases can help you unlock more context and understand employers more than you would if you had yet to learn of these. And who knows, some of these will start to catch on, and you will start saying this without thinking!
